Play Simple Netball

Wednesday, 7 January 2015

With
research reported in the Daily Mail
suggesting that the average person eats around 7,000 calories on Christmas Day
alone, it's no wonder that January sees a sharp rise in gym memberships as we
try to get ourselves back in shape.

A survey
by international market research firm YouGov reveals that while only around a
third of us (30%) make defined New Year's Resolutions, over half of that figure
(51%) wanted to do more exercise and get fitter, while a similar percentage
wanted to lose weight. With only 8% of us
sticking to our resolutions, though, many of our good intentions peter out in
the face of poor winter weather, dark nights and other commitments.

Writing recently in The Telegraph, fitness blogger and founder of the W10 Performance gym, Jean-Claude Vacassin, explored
some of the ways we could try and keep to our fitness resolutions.

"In my
opinion, most of us will remain far more engaged and motivated - and will
ultimately get far better results - when we train in small groups. Personal training
works for focused periods, but eventually, the relationship gets in the way of
the training," he says.

If you want to get fit for 2015 and are worried about your
motivation levels, then joining a netball league is ideal. It's suitable for
all ages and fitness levels, and most members love the social aspects as much
as the health benefits. It's a great way to bond with work colleagues, meet new
people or simply get fitter, and once you start playing regularly you won't
want to stop.

To find out more about Play Simple Netball, a friendly and
approachable league organisation in the North West, visit www.simplenetball.co.uk or call 07779 642041.

Monday, 28 May 2012

Summer's here (at last!) and it's time to dig out your summer wardrobe. For some of us, that can kickstart a healthy eating plan to feel better about ourselves and maybe shift a few pounds in the process! Here's some Simple tips to help you improve your diet.

Okay first things first: there is
a difference between getting fit and losing weight. You can get fit without
losing weight and you can lose weight without getting fit, they aren’t the same
goal and require different things!

Food and What You Need To Know

There are a few important things
you will need to know. Firstly it is that most types of food aren’t bad
for you, just the amounts are. Fats, carbs, protein, fruit – they are all good
for you if they are balanced well. The
common misconception is that as long as you don’t eat a lot of fats, you won’t
become fat. This is not the case!
The biggest type of food that causes you to gain fat and weight is complex
carbohydrates (i.e. pasta, rice, spaghetti, bread, etc.)

Carbohydrates are the only food your body can
produce energy from so your body has adapted to turning the unused
carbohydrates into fats and storing it. Complex carbohydrates (foods like pasta
& rice, etc.) are made up of long complicated chains that your body can
store and use for energy when you need it – for example, eating pasta before playing
netball and burning off all the energy it gives during the game. Simple
carbohydrates (i.e. sugars) are made of basic chains that force you to have
energy straight away. This will give you a ‘sugar rush’ for half an hour or so
and then leave you energy-less. For example chocolate bars force a lot of sugar
into your body and give you a lot of energy for a short amount of time but then
leaves you with no energy again.

Protein is a very good type of
food to eat for losing weight. Protein is found in meats, fish and eggs and is
used for repair and growth of muscle, skin tissue, bone, hair, nails (etc,
etc.) If there is no part of your body that is damaged or need repairing (this
is my favourite part) your body will not keep the protein as it cannot store
protein!

So bear those simple facts in
mind when trying to improve your diet to lose weight! Do not attempt a ‘no
carbs’ diet as this is extremely unhealthy and dangerous. Carbohydrates
should be eaten every day, but only the necessary amount to how often you
exercise. There are, of course, certain heart disease risks that are heightened
if you eat a lot of red meats, for example steaks, mince meat. But, white meats
(such as chicken breast, turkey breast, etc.) do not have these risks attached
and contain more protein than red meat. Tuna is one of the only foods to have a
high protein count and nothing else (i.e. no carbs,) but eating too much tuna
may increase risks of mercury poisoning, so try to limit yourself to one tin a
day at the most.

Combining Your Diet Knowledge
with Simple Exercise

The best way to lose weight is to
use the above dietary knowledge to form an effective diet plan and to do fat
burning exercise. Fat burning exercises are usually the same pace as a ‘power
walk’ (unless you are very healthy – then it will most likely be a light jog)
that should keep your heart rate at about 120 beats per minute. This kind of
exercise burns off the most fat compared to the amount of effort needed,
however it does need to be done for longer – usually about 50 – 60 minutes to
see better results.

This type of exercise does not
improve your health. However, playing netball does. Running around the netball
court for 40 minutes isn’t as easy as it looks is it? That’s because your heart
is most likely beating at around 140 beats per minute – or 65% of its maximum
capacity.This is the cardio zone which
is the best for improving your health and fitness – in particular your cardio
vascular system (lungs and heart.)

Metabolism – What to eat and
when

Metabolism has a massive impact on when you
should and shouldn’t eat certain things. Whatever you eat for breakfast is
burned off all day, so you should have a medium size, slow releasing breakfast
– i.e. porridge, Weetabix, etc. You should aim to have a snack between
breakfast and lunch – maybe a chicken sandwich on wholemeal bread (whole meal
bread has less of a ‘starchy’ inner layer than white or brown bread). 12
o’clock noon is the time of day where your metabolism is at its fastest, so if
you were going to have some crisp, chocolate or sweets (or anything unhealthy)
this would be the time to have it – after your lunch of course! Your metabolism
is at its slowest in the evening and at night, so you should aim to eat your
dinner before 6pm. Since your body’s
metabolism is slow at this time, try to keep the meal fairly light on
carbohydrates as the energy that they give you will not be used at this time
and will just be converted into fat (unless you exercise at 10 or 11pm.)

You should eat roughly 2-3 hours
before doing any sort of training – particularly playing netball which involves
a lot of running and more physically demanding work than fat burning exercise.
As I said before, the best thing to eat before exercise is complex
carbohydrates (rice, pasta etc.) as these give you energy to store and burn off
later on, in training!

Remember, the only way to lose
weight is to use up more energy than you are putting in – only slightly though,
don’t go crazy!

Please note: All advice given should be taken
with consideration to your current diet. Don’t change things too fast as this
will shock your body and may cause you to lose a high amount of weight in a
short amount of time, which can be unhealthy in some circumstances. A weight
loss of 2 lb per week is a healthy amount, although any loss of weight is an
improvement.

Thursday, 17 May 2012

I’m sure a number of you will remember Debbie Morgan, our A Award umpire
who umpired for the Simple Netball League on Mondays and Wednesdays evenings at
the Velodrome until late last year.

Debbie suddenly became ill with stomach cramps in October 2011 and was then diagnosed
with bowel cancer. Since that day, she has overcome huge obstacles in her fight
against cancer.

It is for
this reason that she is inviting all the teams from the Simple Netball League to
join her in the Race for Life
Manchester, a 5K Run at Heaton Park on Sunday 22 July 2012 at 11:00am.

Debbie has
invited not only the netball teams from Simple but also netball teams from
other leagues across Greater Manchester.She is aiming to get at least one person from each team in Manchester to
represent their team or club.

The group
will be called the Netball Nutters and it’s guaranteed to be a very enjoyable
day.

This event
is not competitive, so you can walk, run or jog the course at your own pace.
Those who jog or run often complete the 5k course in about 30 – 45 minutes and
walkers take about an hour but there is no pressure to finish in a certain
time.

The aim is
to raise money for Cancer Research and for the Beechwood Cancer Care Centre, as
well as encourage participation in this event.

It would be
great to see lots of players from the Simple Netball League running (or walking!) on the day!

If you
would like to join the Netball Nutters in their 5K run, please go to:

Tuesday, 1 May 2012

As Simple Netball League’s indoor leagues draw to a close,
our thoughts turn to the summer and how different our outdoor netball leagues
can feel!It’s not just about the
challenge of trying to shoot with the wind swirling; the summer leagues often
feel more social and many teams go for a drink after their games.

Our summer venues

Didsbury is a good example of this culture and we return to
Didsbury Sports Centre for our sixth summer of netball (on newly resurfaced
courts, no less!).

William Hulme Grammar
School (WHGS) is another popular venue for our summer leagues and it’s good to
be able to invite more teams to play here over the summer.I expect a small stampede in September when
it’s time to sign up for the indoor leagues at WHGS....

St Bedes College in Alexandra Park is a new venue for our
Manchester Leagues.The courts are
hidden away behind a tall wall and some even taller trees in this quiet
location near Chorlton.

We will also be staying on at the Velodrome in Sportcity on
Wednesday evenings for our only indoor league over the summer.It’s been very warm in there recently so I’m
hoping they’ll turn down the heating very soon!With the Olympics on the horizon though, I think the wishes of the
cyclists will be at the forefront of their minds, and maybe not ours!

Drink anyone?

The light nights and sunny weather always encourage people
to be a bit more social and there are plenty of options in both Didsbury and
Chorlton if you’re going to a swift bevy after your game.The Didsbury (http://www.didsburylife.com/profile/217/the-didsbury.html)
is always a good option when the weather’s nice and you can sit outside and
watch the world go by.It’s also good if
you’re a bit sweaty after your match so you can cool off!

You’re spoilt for choice in Chorlton when it comes to bars
and they’re pretty much all just a stone’s throw from WHGS.They all offer a good vibe and a refreshing drink
after a game – what more could you ask for? If you’re looking for a bite to
eat, The Horse and Jockey at the end of Beech Rd have a good menu (www.horseandjockeychorlton.com)
and some interesting independent beers on tap. It is a bit further than
Wilbraham Rd but maybe worth the trip!

If you think the netball teams playing at the Velodrome will
miss out over the summer then think again!There’s a lovely cafe bar near the entrance to the National Cycling
Centre which is well worth a visit, especially if you’re looking to refuel
before you game.It evens sells alcohol
so you can still enjoy a beer or two after your game if you so wish!

Make the most of this summer and enjoy your evenings with
your Simple Netball team mates...and raise a glass for us too!

As Simple Netball League’s indoor leagues draw to a close, our thoughts turn to the summer and how different our outdoor netball leagues can feel!It’s not just about the challenge of trying to shoot with the wind swirling; the summer leagues often feel more social and many teams go for a drink after their games.

Our summer venues

Didsbury is a good example of this culture and we return to Didsbury Sports Centre for our sixth summer of netball (on newly resurfaced courts, no less!).

William Hulme Grammar School (WHGS) is another popular venue for our summer leagues and it’s good to be able to invite more teams to play here over the summer.I expect a small stampede in September when it’s time to sign up for the indoor leagues at WHGS....

St Bedes College in Alexandra Park is a new venue for our Manchester Leagues.The courts are hidden away behind a tall wall and some even taller trees in this quiet location near Chorlton.

We will also be staying on at the Velodrome in Sportcity on Wednesday evenings for our only indoor league over the summer.It’s been very warm in there recently so I’m hoping they’ll turn down the heating very soon!With the Olympics on the horizon though, I think the wishes of the cyclists will be at the forefront of their minds, and maybe not ours!

Drink anyone?

The light nights and sunny weather always encourage people to be a bit more social and there are plenty of options in both Didsbury and Chorlton if you’re going to a swift bevy after your game.The Didsbury (http://www.didsburylife.com/profile/217/the-didsbury.html) is always a good option when the weather’s nice and you can sit outside and watch the world go by.It’s also good if you’re a bit sweaty after your match so you can cool off!

You’re spoilt for choice in Chorlton when it comes to bars and they’re pretty much all just a stone’s throw from WHGS.They all offer a good vibe and a refreshing drink after a game – what more could you ask for? If you’re looking for a bite to eat, The Horse and Jockey at the end of Beech Rd have a good menu (www.horseandjockeychorlton.com) and some interesting independent beers on tap. It is a bit further than Wilbraham Rd but maybe worth the trip!

If you think the netball teams playing at the Velodrome will miss out over the summer then think again!There’s a lovely cafe bar near the entrance to the National Cycling Centre which is well worth a visit, especially if you’re looking to refuel before you game.It evens sells alcohol so you can still enjoy a beer or two after your game if you so wish!

Make the most of this summer and enjoy your evenings with your Simple Netball team mates...and raise a glass for us too!

Blog Archive

About Me

Play Simple Netball is a social netball league for groups of friends, work mates or individuals who want to play recreational netball to get fit, have fun and meet new people.
We aim to provide a friendly and fun environment in which to play a social but competitive game of netball.
You don’t need any kit or equipment, everything’s provided for you - you don’t even need to have a full team!
So if you’re looking for a new challenge or an alternative to the gym, register now!